ACE! Introducing Palmes

Explore our Palmes selection and the apparel universe here.

Palmes is a modern-day menswear brand with roots in tennis culture for wearing on and off court, striving to bring a modern ethos to tennis as a sport and its surrounding culture. The collection ranges from sportswear elements over archetypal men's pieces to tennis-related accessories. The majority of clothing and accessories are produced in Europe, made in eco-friendly materials, be they organic or recycled

An interview with Nikolaj Hansson, founder of Palmes Tennis Society. In recent history, we have seen some of the most distinct brands come from Copenhagen; the Scandi hotspot and capital of Denmark has something in its air, that’s for sure. A newcomer in the space of fashion is Palmes. Nikolaj Hansson’s modern-day menswear brand breathes tennis DNA for (mostly) off-the-court activities. Inspired by the sport, however, not focusing on the performance aspects of it, Palmes follow no guidelines or “rules” of tennis wear but the aesthetic longevity that ensures a timeless appeal.

PALMES ->

First things first: Aggesi or Mcenroe? Agassi for the style. McEnroe for the ruthlessness.

One more. Who has the better Tennis player portfolio, Denmark or Sweden? In the past, Sweden. In the present, Denmark.

Jokes aside, tell us a bit about the early days of Palmes; how did you come up with the idea to start a brand?

I started playing tennis a few years ago. I’d always been skateboarding throughout my entire youthhood and hadn’t found myself able to relate to tennis as a sport and culture throughout my life; it seemed foreign, conservative, and distant to me and I couldn’t recognize any of the things that I was into within tennis. ‘Round came the pandemic. I found myself bored and missed hanging out with my friends while doing something active. I became obsessed with the sport and realized that there wasn’t any brand within that space that spoke to me or the stuff that me and my friends liked. So that’s the idea with Palmes; pulling references from the spheres of art, architecture, design, music, skateboarding and the like into tennis, shaking up its dusty ethos and emphasizing that tennis can be exactly what you want for it to be, rather than what it’s been in the past.

Copenhagen is famous for its fashion landscape, but we have never heard about tennis wear from Copenhagen. Why Tennis, are you guys passionate tennis players that were missing the Scandi style on the court? Can you elaborate a bit, since we can see you are dedicated to the sport, like showing how to hold a tennis rack…it must mean a lot to you.

I don’t perceive us as a Scandinavian brand in any way, other than the fact that we happen to be based in Copenhagen. Palmes is about this idea of creating a global community of like-minded individuals, rooted in a newly-found love for tennis and whatever else we find ourselves into. From there, it’s about giving back to the underlying culture of the sport, striving to break it down and rebuild it once more, allowing for us to expand the reach of tennis from a cultural perspective and hopefully allow for people like ourselves, to whom tennis has felt foreign, to fall in love with the sport and get the world’s greatest feeling that is hitting fuzzy yellow balls across the net with your friends for days on end.

The runways in Paris were tapping into Tennis wear, skirts etc., in 2022; what do you think of trends like that when big brands tap into “your” culture, remix it, and then go on to the next thing?

I don’t mind it nor do I care for it. I think you’ll always have these things with brands tapping into whatever subculture feels relevant at a time, whether it be football, tennis, skateboarding or whatever. If it brings tennis to more people and vice versa, then we’re all for it, whatever gets more people playing. But we know that their attention to the sport will only be for a little time. They’re just passing through our town for a minute but we’re here forever on the courts, watching matches on the television and reading Agassi’s Open book for the thousandth time.

Your eye for detail and craftsmanship is evident; you have everything from classic tees to tailored pieces. Can you explain the thought process behind how you approach every season?

It’s very much about pairing the feelings of what tennis has been in the past with a more progressive outlook, juxtaposing tailored sports coats in UK-made pure wool with printed t-shirts, sweatpants and the like. Just as we want to take tennis — a sport that’s often perceived as formal — and make it more approachable, that’s what we want to do with more formal menswear pieces too, showing that you can, and should, wear a tailored sports coat with your jeans and sneakers. Something that was focal to us from the start was that the products should have a right to exist on their own. There’s enough clothes out there and if we don’t have anything new to say, then we shouldn’t speak at all. Close to all of our items are made in organic or recycled materials, often pre-washed and in heavy weights for a deep emphasis on quality and handfeel. If someone tells you the whole story of the brand and you end up liking the t-shirt, then great. But ideally, we want the designs to speak for themselves without anyone having to give you the goddamn elevator pitch of the brand. Imagine if someone had to explain to you why a painting is good, is it then actually good?

*Nick Kyrgios wore Jordans at Wimbledon, violating any on-court sneaker rule. First, what do you think about rules like that, and secondly, is there any tennis player, current or retired, that you would like to see wearing Palmes? *

We’re all for it. We love the traditions of Wimbledon and the other slams but also love the individualism of players such as Kyrgios, Tiafoe, Osaka and the like. They’re doing the same as we’re trying to; adjusting and tweaking tennis to who they are as individuals rather than conforming themselves to the cultural boundaries of tennis.

Not any athletes in particular; rather people who’ve found themselves as outsiders to tennis but have found themselves falling in love with it and is now making the sport and culture their very own.

*You guys started the brand quite recently in 2021. We love to follow a new brand with a vision, what is yours? Classic interview question: where do you see Palmes in 5 years? *

Doing the same things we’re doing now: making great products that are culturally relevant now as well as years down the line, playing tennis and talking shit with our friends on the tennis court and hopefully having an informal global community of people who are maniacally obsessed with hitting a tennis ball a thousand times over.